Investigation of Hydrogen Production from Bio-Oil Substances Using Aspen Plus

In this study, a base-case process diagram was established and simulated in Aspen Plus to explore effect of temperature on hydrogen production. The evaluated compounds were acetic acid, ethylene glycol, acetone, ethyl acetate and m-xylene, which are representative of the main bio-oil derived components. UNIQUAC was used as property model to simulate the process in Aspen Plus. Bio-oil components conversions, mass and molar fractions, and the molar flow rates of hydrogen were studied over a range of temperature starting from 30 °C to 1100 °C. The results obtained from the simulation suggest that all of the five components reach approximately 100% conversion with acetic acid to be the first to reach 100% conversion. The reactor temperature for 100% conversion of the components increases in the following orders: acetic acid > ethylene glycol > ethyl acetate > acetone > m-xylene. It was found that at high temperatures m-xylene was able to produce highest mass fraction of hydrogen and the order was the following: m-xylene> ethyl acetate > acetone > ethylene glycol > acetic acid. Such simulation approaches can be exploited for robust design and optimization of hydrogen production reducing operating cost and taking this process one step closer to industrialization.